FF17: The truth does not always set you free
by skimmy77
Summary: Felicity gets dosed with the drug that strips people of their willpower. Angsty-ness ensues. For SmoakandArrow's prompt: Impulses, for Olicity Flash Fic # 17. Rated T just in case.


**A/N: So, as I told my tumblr followers, I did not intend this story to be as angsty as it turned out. But as we all know, once you start writing, sometimes the characters go a different way. It's like being a scribe, chasing after the king as he hops around decreeing this and that and I'm desperately trying to catch it all on paper. They have a mind of their own. So I apologize for the angst ahead of time. Love you!  
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Oliver was in the middle of sparring with Roy when he heard voices coming down the stairs.

Correction. One voice. Singing.

"_I'm so fancy! You already know!"_

He and Roy looked over at the stairs to see Felicity skipping down the stairs, singing at the top of her lungs, while Laurel trailed behind her, watching with amusement.

"_...from LA to Tokyo! I'm so fancy…"_

Oliver traded glances with Laurel, throwing her an inquisitive look with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Laurel shrugged. "It was on the radio. She said it's her favorite song, and hasn't stopped singing since."

"_…remember my name! 'Bout to blow-oh-oh-oh-oh, _oh!" Felicity finally noticed the boys. "Oliver!" she crowed, calling out his name in a breathy gust, smiling from ear to ear. She ran over to him and threw herself against his chest, wrapping her arms around him.

Oliver's heart fluttered in his chest, blindsided by her affectionate demeanor. He didn't know what to do with his hands, so they flailed around awkwardly. He looked at Laurel. "How much did she have to drink?"

Laurel shook her head. "She doesn't drink when we go out. She says she doesn't want to offend me," she replied, smiling affectionately.

Oliver cupped Felicity's face and lifted her head to look at her eyes. "Felicity, your pupils are dilated."

Felicity snorted. "Of course they are, Oliver. It's 'cause you turn me on!"

Oliver inhaled sharply at her words as they reached a place deep in his gut, destabilizing his composure. He kept looking into her eyes with concern. "I think you've been dosed again." He gave a meaningful look at Roy.

"On it," Roy responded, heading to the table where they kept the island herbs.

"I'll go help him," Laurel said, giving Oliver and Felicity a couple of minutes alone.

Felicity breathed deeply, inhaling his scent. "Mmm, you smell so good."

Oliver shut his eyes, trying to maintain some emotional distance. She wasn't herself right now, and she would most definitely be embarrassed about this display of affection if she was in her right mind. Besides, he couldn't take advantage of her like this, as tempting as it was.

"Felicity, we're gonna make you some tea, okay?" he murmured softly.

"Noooo," she groaned. "That stuff tastes awful. And I don't want to let you go."

"I know," he lamented. A part of him didn't want her to let go either. "But you're not thinking straight right now. And I need you to get better."

Felicity nuzzled her nose into his chest, almost undoing his restraint. "But I feel so safe here."

Oliver grit his teeth against the pain in his chest. It wasn't nearly this difficult last time, but then again, last time he hadn't had an armful of Felicity cuddled against his bare chest. "Fe-li-ci-ty," he grunted in a warning tone.

"Have I ever told you how I love the way you say my name?" she murmured against his chest. "Like, I know exactly what you're thinking when you say my name. Right now, that's your I-am-getting-grumpy-because-you're-not-listening-to-me Felicity. When you separate the syllables like that, that's your I-am-being-serious tone."

"Roy!" he shouted. "Any day now!"

"Thirty seconds, boss!" Roy shouted back.

Felicity looked up at Oliver. "Why don't you touch me anymore?"

Oliver looked down at her, the emotional distance shattering as he saw the heartbreak in her eyes. He frowned, grief-stricken that he had put that look there. "You know why," he whispered brokenly.

"You used to touch me. We weren't together then, either, but you still touched me. You don't touch me anymore."

The tears shining in her eyes finally broke his willpower. He put his arms around her and pulled her head against his chest. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "But it's hard for me to touch you now, knowing how we feel about each other." He closed his eyes, and for just this small sliver of time, he let himself feel the warmth of this woman in his arms, allowing his love for her to fill up the broken and empty places in his heart.

"Uh," Roy tried to interrupt. Oliver opened his eyes at look at him.

Roy cleared his throat. "It's ready."

Slowly separating himself from Felicity, he turned her around to face Roy, and then walked away. He put his shirt back on and left the Foundry, suddenly needing some air.

Felicity sat in front of her computer with her head in her hands. She was going through the security feed of the club she and Laurel had been at, trying to find the guy who had slipped her the willpower mickey that was going around. She was having a hard time concentrating on the faces, because not only was she suffering from a doozy of a headache, she was also completely mortified at her behavior with Oliver. He had left the Foundry an hour ago, and she didn't blame him. She didn't really want to face him either. They had enough to worry about at the moment than the weird…whatever…that was between them.

She heard footsteps on the stairs, and her pulse quickened. She didn't dare look up as those footsteps slowed down a few feet away from her.

"I thought you would have gone home by now," Oliver said.

"I'm still trying to find the guy that dosed me," she murmured.

Oliver walked closer to her, putting a tentative hand on her shoulder. She gasped a little, not having felt that particular touch in a long time.

"Go home, Felicity," he said softly. "You probably have a headache. We can find the guy tomorrow."

She looked at the hand that was on her shoulder, and slowly nodded. She shut down the computers and gathered up her stuff.

She turned to him before leaving. "I'm sorry, Oliver," she murmured.

He shook his head. "It's not your fault. You weren't in control."

"Still," she pressed. "I'm sorry that I made it difficult for you."

Oliver took a deep breath, and nodded once.

"Are we okay?" she asked hesitantly.

Oliver gave her a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We're okay."

She had a feeling they weren't, and that they wouldn't be for a while. But she didn't contradict him. "Goodnight, Oliver," she said softly.

He nodded. "Goodnight, Felicity."

As she walked away from him, she couldn't shake the feeling that they wouldn't be okay for a very long time.


End file.
